Dream Of Home
by Dominique Bastarache
Summary: Hmm... never been very good at this sorta thing... but anyways... This is my first Kung Fu fic, set in original seriespresent day.. How does THAT work ? you might ask... well read it and find out. Rated R for later chapters ((possibly))
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer:... Hmmm... well I've done a number of these... but.. whatever... I do not own Caine, ... but I wish I did ;).... and I don't own Kung Fu... nor do I own David Carradine.. again... though I wish I did... its not for lack of trying I assure you P... Don't sue me.. please.. I'm poor enough...

Authors note:... Well... due to issues beyond my control. I am back... My pen name before was Rae Smith, and I did a Matrix fic so long ago... but since my old E-mail's being a pain, I re-registered to save myself some trouble.

This fic is AU, and set during the original Kung Fu series... which was the greatest T.V series ever... IMHO of course ;). I'm putting it here coz there IS no section for the original... which is a shame... so I post it here. Who knows.. maybe I'll pioneer a new section....

Anywhoo... enjoy

DREAMS OF HOME

A Forgotten Cavern ...

Caine sat quietly, his legs crossed, in a flawless lotus position. From his perch on a small knoll overlooking the western countryside, he could see the sun as it rose from the east. His thoughts returned to his home in China, as they so often did. He would never truly admit it... for even to admit it to himself brought on a small pang of homesickness... but he missed it. Missed China, missed the monastery, he even missed the hours of grueling chores that were ecpected of him, both to prepare for the day and maintain the temple. His soul wept when he thought of home, and his heart ached, as though on its last beat.

But he knew that he could never return... Not after what he had done, his crime seemingly unforgivable. How it shamed him, a Shaolin priest, running through this country of bigots, seeking kindness from those who shun him for his race and heritage, with a price on his head. For a murder that was committed in defense of his master... It was a painful truth and Caine had gotten used to it, but no matter how used to it he seemed to get... it still hurt to think of home. As the sun rose higher in the sky, Caine rose from the ground with it. He would again keep moving, shifting from town to town, and from desert to mountain, moving where-ever the wind took him. As much as he missed home... this lifestyle wasn't so bad... even with a price on his head. At least this way, he was mostly free to roam as he pleased, discovering the landscape and the secrets of this strange new world and culture as he wished.

As he moved down the slope, careful not to fall over the thick bristly, underbrush that lined the less sandy areas, he reveled in the silence of the desert land of this unfamiliar land. Here lurked no loud noises, no crowds, nothing to break the steady thoughts of the monk. Only the sounds of his black leather boots snapping the fragile branches of the dry brush as he walked over them, his steps light. The sun capped over the facade of the mountains that lined the vast horizon, shining into Caine's eyes, making him squint slightly. He lowered the brow of his wide-brimmed hat, using the sand covered, brown brushed leather surface as an impromptu sun visor. As he did this.. He noticed a rock ledge near him. As if on cue, winds began to pick up and sand began to swirl around, clouding around Caine, coating his thin, tan brushed leather jacket and hat. He started toward the ledge, hoping to seek shelter from the impending sand-storm.

He reached the ledge with no difficulty, and stood for a few moments as the storm reached full intensity, moving like an angry sea of golden sand. Caine always found these events intriguing, never having witnessed them before arriving to his new found existence. He leaned back against the solid rock face, his arms crossed patiently. Suddenly a gust of sand blew into his face, blinding him for a moment. He wiped the sand from his eyes and face, now realizing he would be forced to seek out a new place of refuge. He inched along the seeming wall of rock, his able, steady hands seeking out a place to hide... until they found a space, just big enough for him to maneuver in. He stood there for a few moments, then looked toward the back of the break in the rock formation.

The crack was large, but to Caine's surprise, there seemed to be no end to it. In fact, it looked to be the mouth of a large pocket within the mountain. Caine forced his slender frame back further and further, confirming his suspicions. The opening was getting bigger the further back he went. He pressed on further and further in, until the sounds of the storm were barely audible. He went in just a bit deeper, until finding himself looking into a large open space, a cavern completely forgotten by time itself....


	2. Fear is the only darkness

Chapter 2

Fear is the only darkness

Authors' note: This chapter is written in Caine' POV. I'm not the best at this, so if its awful lol... that's my best excuse, so bare with me. If you DO like it though ... well... at least I'm doing my job right. So I hope you enjoy it. I had fun writing it...

Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I dont own... stuff...

Rather, I own not David Carradine ((such a pity too... considering what I could do with him if I DID own him)), nor do I own Kung Fu, (( not for lack of trying mind you... damn copyrights being so expensive)). I just like to play with Caine now and again... ;).

_I had never seen such a thing, this cavern. It seemed as though forgotten... Where am I?... And why do I feel more at ease here then I've felt since arriving in this strange place. This cave, feels like home... I cannot explain it, but the feeling is so strong within me. As I look around, I see things, symbols carved on the walls, symbols of a language that appears forgotten, as neglected and forgotten as this place itself. I move to the walls, perhaps hoping to decipher this lost tongue, the foreign signs. _

_I am certain that I've never seen it, I'm in fact almost certain that no person on earth has ever seen it. I seek now to explore this hollow in the earth, removing my pack, and bedroll, laying it on the dust covered ground. It is in this action that I first see it, the object..._

_A mirror, my reflection staring back at me, is the only other thing in the space that I can see. I approach it, taking in all of it. Into its golden rim are more of the unfamiliar writings. Now more then ever, I feel an ever present sense of danger, yet, despite this, I cannot resist moving toward this strange mirror, my mind screams to my body to stop. Yet for all its efforts... I cannot make my legs stop moving._

_As I stand now, right in front of it, my face all that can be seen in its visage, my hand moves to touch the rim of it. My fingers run over then smooth gold, tracing the embossed lettering that is carved into its luster surface, its elegance and beauty surprising me. As my hands traverse it, I am nearly brought to a shiver of euphoric pleasure, my body now trembles slightly. My mind it tells my hand to move away, to return to the world I knew. I know now... my body will obey my mind no longer, moving of its own accord..._

_My fingers now trail, downward, onto the smooth, reflective surface of the mirror itself, my fingers reflecting off of it. I lift my hand away, my mind's curiosity sated, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My relief turns to shock as I see something seeming to cover my fingertips. It is as reflective as the surface of the mirror, yet molds to my fingers, clinging like moss to an aged tree. I shake my hand, attempting to free it, but now it connects to the mirror itself. For the first time that I can recall since childhood, I feel it... Fear, darkening my very soul. The mirror again draws me to it, this time using force of physical prowess, I am afraid... _

_It covers my whole body.... it's consuming me..._

_I see a bright light as the mirror ... It also seems to swallow me, as like the mirror... I feel it cover me just as the mirror has... I am drawn into it... my body flowing into it... a pure white agony flows through my veins and my being... My soul even begins to ache. I am able to release one last scream as I try to leave, turning with all my power and might trying to escape... But the grip of this ancient power... it is far too much... even for me. I finally give in, letting this unknown darkness surround me... The words of my master Poh... my only comfort, ring true in my ears, as if there to comfort me..._

"_Fear not the unknown grasshopper... for it is not the darkness... Fear is the only darkness..."_

_As these words resound in my mind's eye... I allow myself to be consumed... no longer afraid..._


End file.
